CHIPMAKERS
TSMC misses revenue target
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) on Monday posted NT$233.91 billion (US$7.63 billion) in revenue for last quarter, missing its revenue target of between NT$236 billion and NT$239 billion. The world’s biggest contract chipmaker attributed the weaker-than-expected performance to a strong New Taiwan dollar. The appreciation of the NT dollar against the greenback caused quarterly revenue to fall by about NT$6 billion, the firm said in a statement. Revenue rose 14.9 percent from NT$203.5 billion in the first quarter of last year.
CHIPMAKERS
Several arrested for theft
US memorychip maker Micron Technology Inc yesterday said prosecutors in Taiwan have been conducting criminal investigations that have resulted in the arrests of several people for alleged theft and misuse of the company’s intellectual property. Micron supports the investigations and has been cooperating fully with authorities, it said. The company said it aggressively protects its intellectual property, and that in the event that an individual or company tries to steal rather than license its technology, it would use all legal and appropriate tools available to prevent, detect and punish such efforts.
SMARTPHONES
Genius reports monthly loss
Genius Electronic Optical Co (玉晶光), which supplies camera lenses for Apple Inc’s iPhones, yesterday said it lost NT$53.26 million in February. That represented losses per share of NT$0.53, a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange yesterday showed. Genius was requested to release its earnings, as its shares have surged by about 73 percent since early last month. The company posted NT$314.43 million in net profit for the final quarter of last year, more than triple the same period a year earlier. Earnings per share jumped to NT$3.16. Genius shares yesterday fell 2.66 percent to NT$310.5 in Taipei trading.
DISPLAY MAKERS
Innolux revenue skyrockets
Innolux Corp (群創), the nation’s biggest LCD panel maker, on Monday said revenue last month soared 67.6 percent to NT$31.4 billion, compared with NT$18.71 billion in the same period last year. Monthly revenue rose 14.4 percent from NT$27.41 billion in February. Shipments of PC and TV panels grew 20.5 percent to 102.3 million units from a month earlier. Innloux also reported that its shipments of small and medium-sized panels jumped 37.4 percent monthly to 25.47 million units. Revenue soared 52.5 percent from NT$56.42 billion to NT$86 billion year-on-year, but declined 3.8 percent quarterly, the company said. AU Optronics Corp (AUO, 友達光電) reported that revenue last month rose 18.2 percent to NT$31.05 billion, compared with NT$26.27 billion in March last year. AUO generated NT$88.56 billion in revenue, up 24.5 percent annually.
ENTERTAINMENT
SNSPlus inks licensing deal
Local game developer and distributor SNSPlus Inc (好玩家) yesterday said it inked a US$1.7 million agreement with Kadokawa Games Ltd to obtain the Japanese company’s game distribution rights in the Asia-Pacific region, excluding China. The collaboration will deepen the relationship between the two companies and help expand SNSPlus’ business in Asian markets, SNSPlus said in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange. SNSPlus said it foresees the Kadokawa distribution rights to benefit its revenue and profitability this year.
ISSUES: Gogoro has been struggling with ballooning losses and was recently embroiled in alleged subsidy fraud, using Chinese-made components instead of locally made parts Gogoro Inc (睿能創意), the nation’s biggest electric scooter maker, yesterday said that its chairman and CEO Horace Luke (陸學森) has resigned amid chronic losses and probes into the company’s alleged involvement in subsidy fraud. The board of directors nominated Reuntex Group (潤泰集團) general counsel Tamon Tseng (曾夢達) as the company’s new chairman, Gogoro said in a statement. Ruentex is Gogoro’s biggest stakeholder. Gogoro Taiwan general manager Henry Chiang (姜家煒) is to serve as acting CEO during the interim period, the statement said. Luke’s departure came as a bombshell yesterday. As a company founder, he has played a key role in pushing for the
China has claimed a breakthrough in developing homegrown chipmaking equipment, an important step in overcoming US sanctions designed to thwart Beijing’s semiconductor goals. State-linked organizations are advised to use a new laser-based immersion lithography machine with a resolution of 65 nanometers or better, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said in an announcement this month. Although the note does not specify the supplier, the spec marks a significant step up from the previous most advanced indigenous equipment — developed by Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment Group Co (SMEE, 上海微電子) — which stood at about 90 nanometers. MIIT’s claimed advances last
CROSS-STRAIT TENSIONS: The US company could switch orders from TSMC to alternative suppliers, but that would lower chip quality, CEO Jensen Huang said Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳), whose products have become the hottest commodity in the technology world, on Wednesday said that the scramble for a limited amount of supply has frustrated some customers and raised tensions. “The demand on it is so great, and everyone wants to be first and everyone wants to be most,” he told the audience at a Goldman Sachs Group Inc technology conference in San Francisco. “We probably have more emotional customers today. Deservedly so. It’s tense. We’re trying to do the best we can.” Huang’s company is experiencing strong demand for its latest generation of chips, called
GLOBAL ECONOMY: Policymakers have a choice of a small 25 basis-point cut or a bold cut of 50 basis points, which would help the labor market, but might reignite inflation The US Federal Reserve is gearing up to announce its first interest rate cut in more than four years on Wednesday, with policymakers expected to debate how big a move to make less than two months before the US presidential election. Senior officials at the US central bank including Fed Chairman Jerome Powell have in recent weeks indicated that a rate cut is coming this month, as inflation eases toward the bank’s long-term target of two percent, and the labor market continues to cool. The Fed, which has a dual mandate from the US Congress to act independently to ensure